


Stranded

by Morpheus626



Category: The Pacific (TV)
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-04
Updated: 2020-07-04
Packaged: 2021-03-04 17:34:34
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,777
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25060222
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Morpheus626/pseuds/Morpheus626
Summary: Was trying to write a different Sledgefu fic, then this one happened. I am also discovering I may have a small obsession with writing them traveling, or wanting to travel-I’m a sucker for road trips lol.
Relationships: Merriell "Snafu" Shelton/Eugene Sledge
Kudos: 2





	Stranded

It was bound to happen at some point. Ever since they’d moved out, Eugene had been expecting it. The car wasn’t horribly old, but it certainly wasn’t new either. 

“Fuckin’ car,” Snafu sighed. “…I don’t mean that. If I had a few more things, I could fix her up right here, and we’d be on our way.” 

“I know. But we can’t get her home to be fixed if we don’t head out now,” Eugene said. The car had broken down at the worst possible point in the journey between their house and town; it was a long walk either way, along back roads. And it would be dark soon. But that was on them for staying so late at Sid and Mary’s. 

“Wish I had a way to call the shop. Could make sure someone would be there by the time we get in, to help us come back out here and tow her home,” Snafu muttered, a hand gently running over one of the car’s door handles as he walked over to Eugene. “I really don’t like leavin’ her out here all on her own.” 

“Me neither, but she’ll be okay. She’s a tough old gal,” Eugene smiled. 

Snafu didn’t smile back. Instead, he looked about ready to cry. 

“Come on. We’ll walk fast as we can,” Eugene tried again, gently taking Snafu’s other hand and pulling him along as he turned them down the road back towards town. 

They walked in silence at first, but it itched at Eugene not to talk. Not to say something when Snafu was so clearly upset. 

“You’ll get her fixed up again. Maybe we just need to start carryin’ more tools in the car with us; we could do that,” Eugene started. 

Snafu nodded, but he wouldn’t turn his head to look at him. 

“Hey,” Eugene continued. “Talk to me. Where are you?” 

“Just…disappointed,” Snafu sighed. “I was thinkin’ about another trip. Sid and Mary could check in on the kids for us while we were gone; it wouldn’t be a long trip away. But if the car can’t make it down the damn road anymore, then…” 

“Where to?” 

Snafu shook his head. “Doesn’t matter anymore, not gonna happen.” 

“Where?” Eugene asked again, coming to a halt, squeezing Snafu’s hand just tight enough that he had no choice but to stop as well. 

“New Orleans. Not to do like we did last time, in the city. But near the swamps. Used to know some folks who’d rent out their houses near there. Nothin’ big or fancy, mind, more like cabins. But you could get away from everythin’ out there. Thought it might be nice, just for a bit. Some time away, just you and me and nothin’ to do but wander out in the country. I know we can do that here, but…” 

Eugene nodded. “When?” 

“The hell you mean, ‘when’?” Snafu snorted derisively. “The car barely wants to make it in and out of town. New Orleans is a good, what, two or three hours away, if we wouldn’t stop anywhere? Doesn’t matter if I want us to go now or not, the car won’t-” 

“Summer or winter?” Eugene interrupted. 

“I…maybe winter? Not like it gets real cold, and probably not as many people out there. Figure folks at work won’t be jumpin’ to take vacations, so if we ask for a week or two away it won’t be so bad,” Snafu replied. 

“Okay. Maybe…early December?” 

Snafu stared. “You gonna have us walk all the way there?” 

“You can fix the car up so she can make it. I know you can,” Eugene replied, pulling on Snafu’s hand gently again as he started them back down the road. 

“You really wanna go? Most people wouldn’t jump at the opportunity,” Snafu said. “Most everybody wants the city and the bars and all the noise. That’s all fine and good sometimes, but there’s somethin’ about bein’ away from it too…” 

“I get it. Same reason Sid and I used to wander out here all the time. In the fields, just us, for hours. To be away from everythin’ and everyone. I wanna see what that was like for you, out there.” 

The silence rolled back in again, but it was warm this time, a soft smile on Snafu’s face now. 

The dark covered them, and Eugene pulled out his lighter. It wasn’t much, and barely made a difference, but at least it kept them from walking into the ditch. 

Until it burned out. 

“Well, fuck,” Eugene sighed, and he put the lighter back in his pocket. “That was gonna keep us from gettin’ hit by a car, if anyone should come down this way. Guess we’ll just have to listen, and move fast if we hear anythin’.” 

“We’ll be okay,” Snafu said, but he didn’t resist when Eugene carefully edged them towards the side of the road, not quite in the ditch, but close enough to fall into it if they needed to avoid a car. 

Finally, the few streetlights came into view, and it was a weight off of Eugene’s shoulders. There was still the walk to the shop, the call to the shop owner to bring his tow truck, and then getting back to the car to haul her home. But at least now they had far less chance of being hit by a car. 

In the shop, sat at the counter, he let Snafu lead the rest of the rescue effort for their car. By some blessing, the shop owner woke up right away at Snafu’s phone call, and agreed to run down to help them. 

“He said about fifteen minutes,” Snafu sighed as he hung up the phone. “Gives us time to talk more about this vacation of ours.” 

“You excited?” Eugene asked, already knowing the answer. But he could tell Snafu was itching to talk about it more, to show how happy it made him. 

Snafu nodded. “We should put in for leave time now. I’m gonna. Hell, I’m here, why not write it up now?” 

Eugene smiled as he watched him dart into the garage part of the shop, all hopped up on his excitement and happiness. The sight of him returning with a toolbox was confusing, however. 

“You keep paper and pencil with you in this thing?” Eugene asked as he watched Snafu rummage through it, letting his fingers run over the letters of Snafu’s name that had been painted onto one side of the box. 

“Just in case,” Snafu replied, moving to another part of the counter as he started to write out his leave request. 

He rifled through the toolbox while Snafu’s pencil scratched. Most of it was what he expected, various tools covered in oil and who knew what else. But one thing was unexpected. 

“What’s this?” 

Snafu’s eyes went wide as Eugene pulled out a sheaf of papers. “Nothin’. What’re you lookin’ for in there anyway?” 

“Just snoopin’,” Eugene replied as he spun off of his chair and dodged Snafu’s hand, reaching to grab him or the papers. As he read, he grinned. “You been writin’ about me?” 

“Put those back,” Snafu said weakly.

“You embarrassed? Don’t be,” Eugene laughed. “These are good, and I’m not just sayin’ that ‘cause they’re about me, I promise.” 

“…you like them?” 

Eugene nodded. “I do. Never seen you write, not like this, at least. How long have you been doin’ this?” 

Snafu shuffled his feet, and stared at the floor for a moment, before taking a breath and meeting his eyes again. “Y’know back on Peleliu, when I gave you shit about writin’ stuff down?” 

“They did tell us to avoid it, worried about information bein’ stolen and all that,” Eugene replied. He’d just figured the Japanese troops wouldn’t give half a shit about whatever he’d written, so he hadn’t given a shit himself about the warnings. 

“I mean, it was partially that. But I didn’t want you findin’ this,” Snafu sighed, and reached into another part of the metal toolbox. He pulled a small notebook out, so small Eugene figured it’d be a pain to even try and write in, and tossed it to him. “Started it after the first week you joined up with us. Hadn’t ever written anythin’ like that about anyone else before then. Didn’t think I’d ever be the type.” 

Eugene returned to the chair, and set the other papers down as he opened the notebook and started to read. 

Pages upon pages of poems and free-flowing passages, all about him. About how he made Snafu feel, how that in turn made Snafu feel about the war and the rest of the fighting with Eugene by his side. One set of lines in particular was the one that broke him, that made the tears fall: 

_‘I think so long as Sledgehammer stays with me, the war will be worth winning. Worth surviving. I only wish I could find a way to keep him with me after. I don’t know what life after him, without him, looks like. And I don’t want to know.’_

“Why didn’t you show me this sooner?” Eugene asked, wiping away a tear. “Snafu, my god-” 

Snafu was around the counter in a flash, holding him close and kissing him hard, cutting off the rest of his words.

“I didn’t show you because…I don’t know. I got so used to tryin’ to keep it a secret, back over there. And then I figured, I don’t know, that somehow it would be strange,” Snafu murmured as after the kiss broke. “Especially seein’ that I was writin’ about you from Day One.” 

“It isn’t strange,” Eugene choked out, laughing despite the tears. “It’s sweet, and beautiful, and the kindest thing I think anyone’s ever done for me. No one ever thinks someone’s gonna write about them like this, y’know? So I just…I love you so much.” 

The sound of the garage opening and the tow truck pulling up outside broke them apart, but not before Snafu leaned in for another quick kiss, and a soft “Love you too” as he grabbed the rest of the papers and shoved them into his hands. 

He kept them folded, hidden in his trouser pockets with the notebook while Snafu’s boss drove them back to the car, loaded it up, and then took them back home. 

As soon as they were home, he read them again though, safe in bed with Snafu’s arm wrapped around him, his head resting against his chest. 

He wondered what Snafu might write about him during their trip to New Orleans, and realized he couldn’t wait to read it.


End file.
